


Beyond The Mat

by my_number_is_our_trees



Category: Professional Wrestling, Tegan and Sara - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-24
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-27 06:00:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30118233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_number_is_our_trees/pseuds/my_number_is_our_trees
Summary: Tegan Quin is a young woman who, along with her twin Sara and their best friends Emy and Sam, start the insane and crazy career of professional wrestling. And, despite it being a career full of drama, Tegan finds herself fighting more outside the ring than inside it. Love, family, friends, crazy fans, and the bumps and bruises that come with the job of putting on tights and flying around the ring. Tegan/OC, Sara/Emy, Tegan/Emy, Tegan/Sara/Emy, Tegan/Emy/OC -- It gets complicated.It's not smut fiction but there will be quite a bit of sexual scenes. I am not the best or most comfortable writing direct smut, so just be forewarned if that is what you are looking for. Sex for story purposes!
Relationships: Sara Quin/Emily "Emy" Storey | EE Storey, Sara Quin/Tegan Quin, Tegan Quin/ Original Female Character
Kudos: 2





	Beyond The Mat

**Author's Note:**

> There really is no projected end to this story. I will work on it when I feel like it but should go on for some time but I've always been a fan of wrestling. I even thought about going into it as my uncle wrestled in the Southeast during the late 70's and early 80's but it wasn't my passion at all. Still, this is kind of a tribute to the wonky, niche world of professional wrestling and my favorite band of all time. Hope you guys like it all!

It is one of the most distinctive memories of my childhood. The time of one's life where everything is tender and new, yet your understanding of the world is growing by leaps and bounds. The end of another summer where we loathe to return to school. Not for any hatred of school in of itself. No, just for the loss of the relative freedom that the sultry days of summer break afforded us. It was before the complications of schoolwork, tests, and friendships.

My father is a simple but jovial man who was the type that couldn't ever directly discipline anyone. However, we both dreaded disappointing him. Still there was happiness almost everywhere he went. If he was stressed or upset, he never showed it to Sara and I. His guilty pleasure, and I suspect if he wasn't with our mother, a probable obsession was with professional wrestling. The stories he would tell of his two uncles that used to wrestle in the Pacific Northwest back in the seventies. It was far from uncommon for my sister and me to sit and watch burned DVDs of old VHS tapes transferred to the new media. Retaining the passion for as long as I can remember. Our mother would bemoan the ridiculousness of it all. Yet, she was just happy it was an easy way for him to bond with both of us.

We've been to local wrestling shows before. Vague memories but they are there. This summer was different as my dad worked a lot more than usual. The tech company he worked for was merging with a bigger one. Some office shuffling and other things I wasn't privy to kept him at his workplace far more than usual this summer more than any other. Sara and I were exploding with excitement to go not knowing it wasn't one of the local promotions we were going to see.

“Are you girls ready to rumble?” He chuckled as we both clamored at a million miles an hour. “Haha, I want to apologize for the insane schedule this summer. Now it is almost over, and it is starting to get chilly again. I know school starts soon. I'm sorry and promise I won't do it again. Next year will be a whole lot better”

Sara and I finally calmed down before she said, “aw it's okay, daddy.”

“Yeah, we understand. We get it. You told us that every single day,” I added while I watched the world pass me by.

It was a typical late summer day that all of us on the wet coast get accustomed to. Almost like a comforting blanket. A steady rain that forms an almost recognizable rhythm that I subconsciously find myself in tune with. Salt-tinged air riding on the back of the occasional hard wind soothes one's mind. Let me forget that I actually did miss the time with him. I know Sara thinks the same.

“Wait. Where are we going?” Sara asked, and I just noticed it with her own observation.

We aren't on the road that leads to the local community center that West Coast Women's Wrestling use for their shows.

“Good eye, Sara,” our father said after a moment. “No WCWW is not holding a show tonight. Don't you guys remember what tonight is?”

In all of my short eleven years, I never had such a moment of realization. We were watching Smackdown just a few days ago where they mentioned that Raw was going to be in Seattle. All the fantastic, charismatic wrestlers the three of us watch multiple times a week will now be just a few yards away from us.

“And I got us ringside seats!”

If it was physically possible for someone to just explode like bombs made from two preteen girls we would have. My twin held onto my arm tighter than she ever had before whilst we walked into the SeaTec Arena. Beyond overwhelmed is understating how I felt once we were inside the palace of lights and colors.

Booths as far as the eye can see. Food and drinks served alongside and in WWE-branded cups and memorabilia. Becky Lynch looked so badass as the centerpiece on the giant cups of soda our dad bought us quite quickly to have something to quiet us for a moment when we drink. More soda than either one of us really wanted but Sara and I wanted the Becky cups especially since she has the World Heavyweight title around her waist on it. Still have this cup, actually.

“It's historic, dude,” Sara's lisp came through more than usual. “No woman has ever been in the main event Wrestlemania then Beck Lynch did it four in a row. No woman has ever won the WWE and World Heavyweight titles yet she did! Freakin' historic dude."

“I know. Becky Lynch with the four-legged clover got Reigns to tap out. No one saw it coming, man!” I replied nearly bursting out of my skin from excitement.

“It was a great day in wrestling, girls. I remember when women would barely even be allowed to wrestle, or it would just be about their looks. Not about their skills or anything,” our father ushered us toward a line of booths selling merchandise of what seems to be damn near every wrestler on WWE's roster. Just depending on what you like, I guess. Which is very smart on their end.

It seemed like an eternity spent browsing everything and wanting everything, but we ended up getting two different shirts so we can both wear them whenever we want, or in theory that was the idea. In practice, it never goes that way between siblings. Especially twins.

The rest of the evening is a blur. A fantastic, fun, and great blur, but even if I try there is really only one memory from that night that has stuck with me even through to today. The main event of the night was Bayley – Sara's favorite wrestler of all-time – against Asuka for the number one contender spot of the World Heavyweight Championship, they recently just retired the Women's title with great fanfare. It was an intense match between the both of them as it was officially the first sanctioned number one contender match between two women. The great intensity between them, which is how it always felt like when they were in the ring together.

Sara and I were cheering our tiny little lungs out. Standing along with our dad who was also cheering for both of the competitors. One of those moments where they both hit each other with one of their signatures. Laying on the mat as they catch their breath, pull up their tights, just have a moment to gather themselves. The ref did his job perfectly by just counting slow enough to help out the wrestlers. While Bayley pulled herself up her hair covered her face and for a moment our eyes locked. It sounds dumb now that I think about it, but our eyes locked and I doubt it left any kind of impression upon her but it did for me.

After she ran a hand through her hair the late-twenties woman gives me a small wave. Which forced my sister to cheer even louder and grab me out of excitement, “she waved at us!” But I knew the truth. She waved at me that day. Bayley was the coolest most awesome person ever at that very moment and I knew right then and there that is what I wanted to be. As cool and awesome and strong and beautiful that she is.

Six Years Later

“You got it, Tee. Just a little more,” Sara encourages as every muscle fiber in my arms and shoulders screams in pain at me. This is legit the heaviest weight I have tried to bench more than six reps.

Just as my elbows begin to buckle my twin grabs the bar and helps me lift the one hundred sixty-five pounds back onto the hooks. With a loud sigh, I sit up and grab my towel. It almost seems like I'm a puppet as I wipe my forehead off with the towel my twin hands to me. With the last intense workout of the day done. My arms feel like jello and like they are dead weight.

Sara offers me my bottle of Gatorade, the stuff that they actually give to athletes which doesn't taste that bad. Though, I prefer the commercially available stuff.

“Man, you've been killing it,” Emily Storey, a member of Greenview High Wrestling Team, walks up to us with a towel around her neck, and her duffel bag is strapped around her torso. “Up to two hundred yet?”

“Since yesterday? Hah, no,” I spray down the bench and wipe it clean before stretching my limbs above my head. “It's all about reps anyways. I just like pushing myself to the limit.”

Sara comes up to give her girlfriend a huge hug and a quick kiss. Since Emy's car is in the shop they can't spend every waking moment together anymore. I roll my eyes, it is cute and I am glad that the school, more or less, doesn't care about an openly gay couple. In a moment, the rest of the girl's wrestling team shows up. As expected, they are a little late but Sara and I as co-captains, and honestly, we founded the wrestling club in middle school. There wasn't a team here at our high school when we first showed up in our freshmen year. It didn't take a lot of effort to convince Ms. Stratigas – the girl's gym teacher that also oversees the entire sports department of our high school, that we needed to form one.

“Oh! You guys still coming over to watch Wrestlemania?” Samantha Anoi'i, the biggest girl on our team with a temper that is hard to provoke but scary when it is. A great solid wrestler on the team. She loves three things more than anything else. Her Hawaiian-Samoan descent of which she has a badass flower tattoo on her neck. The school wanted to argue it but she and her mother claimed it as part of their culture, not to mention the pride of her family's legacy in the wrestling business. Which shut up the school board rather quickly. She also is deeply in love with professional wrestling like everyone else I've met in her family. Some of her cousins and uncles have wrestled locally while her father and mother wrestled internationally and like Sara and me, she is going to be personally trained by them as well. Then beyond all of that. Above everything else. This large teddy bear loves her boyfriend more than anything else.

“Will Logan be coming over?” Olive crosses her arms as she always just prefers it to be us girls. However, with Sara and Emy being part of the circle. We have all agreed that if Logan wants to come over he can just there are rules. For all of them. She's one of the few whose goals for life fall outside professional wrestling. Valedictorian with a scholarship to USC when she graduates as a scholar-athlete. We love her still.

“Who cares?” I say with a shrug. “Sara and I just finished our workouts, so we're gonna shower then hit the mats. And as Co-Captain I will make an executive order right now. We are all going over to your place Sam this Sunday. BYOB and all that.”

“Fuck yeah!” Emy calls out through the gym.

“Language, Miss Storey!” Ms. Stratigas retorts back with a stern look that makes her actually more attractive.

“Sorry, ma'am,” the young woman blushes and ducks her head as we all laugh for a moment.

By the time we get home mom is already beginning dinner and our dad is fiddling around on his laptop in front of our TV. A basketball game playing out in front of him that just seems to go without notice.

“Hey, girls, how was school?” He asks not looking up at us.

“We're ready to kick Yakima High's ass. Then onward to the championship match. Where Tegan will build us up and I will seal the win. We just need the girls to hold their own, which they always do. Got so lucky with the talent at our school,” Sara hums to herself before scampering off upstairs. Undoubtedly to change and text with Emy until she passes out, or gets dinner, or something.

“That's great, dear,” my dad says as disinterested as possible but she was gone anyways. Not that he doesn't care because we both know he does, but a couple of years ago he took a promotion which, more or less, means that my parents will be taken care of after they both retire with the money they are saving and investing now. As the Regional IT Manager, it means he is on-call 24/7 and has a million things to do. Still, I know he is proud of us.

“Hey, Tee,” my mom greets as I set my backpack down on my dining chair. Now, mom? I'm not sure if she is proud of us or truly what is going on in our lives. She kind of distanced herself after Sara came out. Just hoping she comes around one day, but even if she doesn't, fuck her. “How are you?”

Shrugging as I step over to the sliding glass door, “I'm a'ight. I'm going to get some fresh air.”

“Alright, just bundle up. It is supposed to start snowing again, and actually show up for dinner this time.”

Crunching through the snow to the old treehouse that our dad spent a good portion of a summer building years ago. Long fallen to disuse before I rediscovered it early this year. No one has said anything about it, even when I stole my dad's old space heater to use up here. My own private home away from everyone or so it feels like. A small crate just useful enough to act as a table beside a collapsible lawn chair. The old light dad installed still works but usually, I don't turn it on. It is a solid structure but despite the heater 

Rummaging through an old canvas duffel bag. I find the cigar box I pilfered from behind the tobacco store. The smell of weed overcomes the small area. My parents are in their own little world while Sara is so distracted by Emy with only wrestling being the only connection we share right now. I can get high and chill without anyone even noticing I am gone. Which is actually pure bliss.

“I can't wait to get my own apartment,” I say to the wind before lighting up the joint with my small zippo with Becky Lynch, now retired from in-ring action, printed upon it. Old, scratched, and very much the coolest lighter ever.

Taking a deep inhale and smoothly exhaling. I lean back against the wall, closing my eyes as I let my mind clear of everything. Hitting the joint without opening them, maybe I'll fall asleep. My body definitely feels like it would love that. But usually, I just let the stress that has built up all day melt off. Coughing a little with each hit but I try to keep as quiet as I possibly can. The weed is loud enough as it is out here. I am just glad the Williamsons next door moved. Uptight Catholics that would totally snitch on me.

A beeping from my phone has me reaching into my pocket to see a message from Ted. Ah, nerdy but cool as fuck Ted Gowens. My friend since fifth grade. Boyfriend since the homecoming dance last year, but we've both been keeping it a secret. I'm not really sure why. A smile crosses my face as I see what he had to actually say.

_Hey, badass. Whatcha up to?_

Replying back as quickly as my tiny thumbs can work.

_Getting high in the tree. Wanna toke?_

_Be right there. <3 :*_

After I send him a kiss and heart emoji. I let out a content and take another deep hit. The familiar heady buzz hits me rather hard making it the perfect end to my day. Maybe snuggle a little with Ted and watch some old SHIMMER matches on his phone. Ignoring my mom's text and just eat my dinner cold. After everyone has gone to bed. Not like I haven't done it before.

“Hey, beautiful,” Ted says as he is already halfway up the tree.

“Hey to you,” I reply as I get up to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

“Missed you at school today,” Ted says, taking the bowl out of the cigar box as he sits down on the floor beside me. “Had a lab I was having a bit of difficulty with but I nailed it.”

“It's all good. The team got a lot of great practice in. I've been scouting our opponents as well. So, we are all ready to go.”

“I know how you are,” he replies looking up at me for a moment.

“I really think they don't stand a chance and the state championship is ours,” I watch him pack the bowl before offering it to me for the first green hit.

Thanking him, I hit the bowl and hand it back off. We spend the next long while just talking and toking as we used to when we were just friends. In fact, nothing really has changed too much other than we kiss. Sometimes I let him get to second or third base, a grin crosses my face at the thought of it. It is kind of nice for the attention but I doubt I will ever go further than that, or if I even want to, to be honest.

“Wanna make out?” I say after some time.

After successfully returning back inside and taking a long shower. I sneak past Sara's room on the way to mine. It is obvious she is watching a Joshi – Japanese women wrestling – event and talking to Emy through their voice chat. Shaking my head but smiling. I enter through the room with the big Do Not Enter sign that designates it as my own.

It's dark when I enter with only my blacklight lit. Providing just enough to not run into my desk, dresser, or bed; but, to be honest, I am sure I could walk through this room blindfolded. I've been in this very room my entire life. This is why the entire place represents me through and through. Haim, Twenty-One Pilots, and PVRIS posters intermingle with posters and photos of wrestlers and title belts. My desk seems disorganized but I do know where everything is on it. Plugging in my phone before I forget so I can actually wake up on time. I flop down on the bed happy that another day is over.

Even before I could think about getting comfortable my phone beeps. I know it isn't Ted, and though it may seem like the dispute in my head takes forever, I am out of bed and grabbing my phone to see a text from my twin.

_Wanna come watch some Ice Ribbon with me?_

Shit, she doesn't have to ask me twice to hang out and watch some wrestling. I don't even reply before I am leaving my room and gently knocking on Sara's door. Without waiting for her to say anything. I quietly push it open just enough for me to slip inside. Closing the door behind me like we are kids again. Sneaking out of bed just to hang out a little bit more. Now there's no punishment nor a bed time or even a curfew.

“How's Ted?” Sara is sitting on her bed and leaning against the wall with her laptop sitting open on her legs.

“He told me to tell you to say hi. Hi, Sara,” I sit down beside her and give my twin a wide-tooth grin.

She turns the stream back on to where Momo Watanabe has the upper hand on Chelsea Diamond. I watch it with her for a bit in silence until Sara breaks it after a particularly crazy back and forth in the match.

“Can you believe it? That will be us one day,” she says almost in a dream state. If I didn't know better I'd think she was high. In fact, I think she might be.

Nodding, I reply, “fuck yeah I can believe it. We are in such great shape and running the high school girl's wrestling in our area. Plus, thanks to Sam we don't even have to pay for the training.”

“Tamera loves us so much. Ever since Sam joined the wrestling team last year. Every time we go over there they treat us all like family. I mean, she was a pro wrestler herself before she got pregnant. We got this,” Sara gives me a large goofy grin.

“Are you high?” I ask.

“Are you?” She retorts.

“Yeah,” I reply with a shrug.

“Mom and Dad don't know what a vape pen smells like.”

“The fuck, Sara?” I go to say something else but then I stop and think about it for a moment. “Why didn't you share?”

“Why didn't you share from your stash?” Sara looks at me with red-tinged eyes. Before she offers the pen to me.

Thanking her I take a big hit before having to cover my mouth with one of her pillows. Allowing me to cough without waking up the parents that sleep just a thin wall away. We watch the rest of the event until I begin that cycle of falling asleep but waking yourself up in a desperate bid to stay awake.

Sara nudges me with her elbow and wishes me a good night. I do the same as I rub my eyes. Padding lightly to my bedroom and locking the door behind me. Grabbing my phone I flop down onto my bed and take a photo of a half-asleep and half-stoned me. Looking at myself to make sure I don't look too awful. More like tired cute I think I look fine before I send the photo off to Ted and post it on my Tumblr and Instagram. No reason why other than this idea that the sooner I start on social media the easier it will be to transition when I go pro. It doesn't take too long for sleep to overtake me so I may continue onto tomorrow and towards my destiny.


End file.
